Legislative Branch Vocab (Ch 5,6,7) Flashcards
a two-chamber lawmaking body
Bicameral legislature
a period of time during which a legislature meets to conduct business
Session
a population count (every 10 years)
Census
the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census
Reapportionment
to set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete
Redistrict
to draw a district’s boundaries to gain an advantage in elections
gerrymander
as a whole; for example, statewide
At-large
a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions
Censure
elected official who is already in office
incumbent
a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent
Constituent
a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office
caucus
The Speaker’s top assistant whose job it is to help plan the majority party’s legislative program and to steer important bills through the House
Majority leader
an assistant to the party floor leader in the legislature
Whip
a proposed law
Bill
a schedule that lists the order in which bills will be considered in Congress
Calendar
the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
Quorum
the senate member, elected by the Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president
President pro tempore
a method of defeating a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote
Filibuster
a procedures that allows each Senator to speak only 1 hour on a bill under debate
Cloture
a law proposed to raise money
Revenue Bill
a proposed law to authorize spending money
Appropriations Bill
trade among the states
Interstate commerce
a formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public official
Impeachment
a bill dealing with general matters and applying to the entire nation
Public bill
a statement adopted to cover matters affecting only one house of Congress
simple resolution
a provision included in a bill on a subject other than the one covered in the bill
Rider
a session at which a committee listens to testimony from people interested in the bill
Hearing
rejection of a bill
Veto
when a president kills a bill passed during the last 10 days Congress is in session by simply refusing to act on it
Pocket Veto
Representatives of interest groups (groups of people with common goals who organize to influence government)
Lobbyists
the yearly financial plan for the federal government
national budget
